Hill, Storey leave office after decades of public service

Courtesy • Image Outfitters Photography With 29 years on the Rocklin City Council for Peter Hill, left, and 12 years for Brett Storey, the two left office together Dec. 11 as two new council members were sworn in. Both received recognition from the city of Rocklin and the state Senate for their service.

Courtesy/Kristin JandaRocklin City Council Members Dave Butler, left, George Magnuson and Greg Janda take the oath of office.

Courtesy • Image Outfitters Photography A staffer from the California Senate presents awards of recognition for service to Rocklin City Council members and former mayors Peter Hill (center) and Brett Storey, who left office Dec. 11.

Longtime Rocklin City Council members Peter Hill and Brett Storey officially left office Dec. 11 as two newly elected council members, Greg Janda and Dave Butler, and incumbent George Magnuson were sworn in.

Hill and Storey opted to not run again after decades on the council. Storey finished his third term on the council, serving as mayor in 2004, 2008 and this year.

“The city is a better place because of Brett’s input,” said Council Member Scott Yuill.

Storey also served two terms on the Rocklin Unified School Board and volunteered on the city’s Redevelopment Advisory Committee before he took office 12 years ago.

“His term on the school board and the City Council – Brett has given us 20 years of community service in this community,” Yuill said. “That level of dedication deserves notice.”

Yuill said Storey earned a reputation for his stubbornness.

“Standing firm is what we owe the public and Brett has certainly done that,” Yuill said. “Some of the areas of Brett’s stubbornness centered around good fiscal management and having the city being frugal. Also arguing for the city government to run its priorities around core responsibilities of government. The city is a better place because of Brett’s firm stances and by evidence of Rocklin’s good financial shape.”

Storey said while new council members with new ideas are healthy, he stayed on to get Rocklin through the recession.

“My goals when I came on were to ensure the city was in good fiscal shape and keep that balanced growth as the city grew,” he said. “I think we did that.”

Storey also coached and was a board member for Rocklin Little League and Pony Baseball and coached varsity baseball at Whitney High School.

“This is my form of community service,” he said. “This was not as much fun as coaching baseball, but my arm doesn’t hurt as much doing this.”

Storey said he has no aspirations for higher office and has plenty to keep busy.

A retired regional planner, Hill served 29 years on the council, serving as mayor six times.

“Peter made a lot of changes in our city,” Magnuson said. “He helped do the blueprint of what we see today.”

Hill took office in 1980 at a time when the city’s population was 7,000 with two parks, no high school and a 33-member city staff, including nine police officers, who worked out of the century-old City Hall building.

Hill said he’s proud Rocklin grew into a progressive high-quality city and thoroughly thanked city employees and commended City Manager Rick Horst as “the right man for the right time. He’s a great city manager.”

“I’m really proud of the part I played as a team that helped set the pattern, the quality and the standards for the city in the formative years before Stanford Ranch, Whitney Oaks and all the other developments that have occurred,” Hill said.

Hill, a former planning commissioner and school board member, also served on the Placer County Air Resources Board, Placer County Local Area Formation Board, South Placer Regional Transportation Authority and Rocklin’s border committee with Lincoln, Loomis and Roseville to resolve issues between the communities.

Magnuson, who worked with Hill on the council through half that time, commended him and said his greatest legacy left to the town was his involvement with the Safe Routes to School infrastructure improvements in older neighborhoods and Rocklin’s interchanges on Highway 65.

“You’ll always be the honorable Peter Hill to us,” Magnuson said.

Magnuson thanked Hill’s family for letting him spend so much time service the city.

“It takes a lot of time away from your family,” Magnuson said. “It takes time away from watching your kids grow up. It takes you away from your wife. Make sure you order (your grandpa) a big Coke when he takes you out for pizza.”

Both Hill and Storey received commendations from the city and state Senate.